People Inspired

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The road did seem
empty. Pretty ironic though! The movement was a mass attraction, what did just
happen?

I was walking alone, against the beeping
traffic along the pavements where stood big commercial companies, with their
lights lit and people working in hordes. The presentations, the expressions and
the serious atmosphere, oh! I am just outside a line of MNC’s and the sight is
always serious! Serious as hell...

But my destination was different; I started
to take long strides. I needed to reach there. My Indian friends were waiting
after all. Soon I heard loud shouts, it was rare slogans to hear, this is the ‘Kaliyuga’,
you can’t expect these apple-loving-tablet-iphone-samsung_galaxyS2- technology
freaks to shout ‘Inquilabzindabad’ or ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, what the hell has happened
to India?

Then my eyes turned around searching for
answers. There far away on a stage, I saw the pale figure of an old man, clad
in a simple white kurta-pyjama. His eyes looked tired, his words shivered yet
his voice roared and his posture was aggressive. I am bad in hindi, but I knew
what this guy meant. He was shouting, he was squeaking, he wasn’t tweeting and
there I could see two bollywood celebrities shouting in agreement and on the
right side was a retired IPS officer, women!
And then two people upfront and then I realised, freaks! I am in Anna Hazare’s Anshan.

The picture became clear, that is why I was
here, my Indian friends and then my eyes just turned around the MMRDA grounds,
located in the commercial hub of Mumbai, the Bandra-Kurla complex and there the
MNC’s had their employees staring the computers, presentations, bosses
aggression and the employees dilemma, should I be the Indian to fight against
those who feed illegally or should I be the Indian who works here to feed
himself and his family?

For them answering yes to second question was
understood, but why wasn’t I here when this all started. Where was I, sleeping?

he has just staged the Anshan near my house
and I can’t even walk a mile to join against the cause to prevent corruption,
to pass the Lokpal bill, my eyes started to twinkle, my brain started to grind,
my mind started to state the facts. My eyes were looking straight at Anna, who
sat there; meditating now, peacefully and I could hear him say, “Son, when you
want a change, you have to be a change”

I still couldn’t understand the fact that I
forgot this? Do I not want this? Am I not an Indian? Again I looked around,
looked at those MNC people, they can’t come, they have a dilemma, a bigger
problem, it’s a working day, and they work for bigger corporations. I could see
the building of ICICI bank, then the Trident hotel, then Tata Communications
Ltd and then I realised. What dilemma did I have even though I hated corruption
to and wanted to put an end to it! I was
aggressive too, then why wasn’t I here in the morning. My eyes lit and I
stood in the middle where my mind contrasted the two very different worlds, the
corporate and the normal people. Both have same aims, but one is tangled and
the other is free. Then I was the third world, lazy and easy. We just shout we
want a change, but we never deal with it. And there’s Anna, doing an ‘Anshan’, trying at least to get the bill
passed, even though he knows that Star cricket is broadcasting the ‘Agneepath series matches’, I don’t
remember the name they gave to this, but it was the India-Australia test series
and Sachin was reaching his 100th 100, yet he couldn’t, he was
clean-bowled at 73. It was so tempting.But Anna sat there, teaching me a lesson and
every Indian who’s a cracko! Like me,

“If
you want to make India as Gandhi wanted, then be the Gandhi”

Question
is:

Am

I

Gandhi?

I don’t know why I retrospect this day again
and again. This day makes me feel patriotic in some kind. It had three events
going on simultaneously and all three were historic. The news casters were all
very perplexing; they didn’t know how to present them. Headlines today came up
with a great idea of dividing the screen into three, one half had the Anna’s
Anshan, the other half was divided again into two. The lower half had the ball
that made Sachin out and shattered millions dreams including mine and his. But
a player of his calibre can never, ever, build in me the feeling of betrayal or
distrust, as I feel from the... we will get back here later!of him making
century of century’s in test and the upper half had the LokSabha debate on Lokpal
bill.

Now I liked the Lokpal debate, very much. It
had started from morning, but as I said, I am a lazy Indian and there I was
watching the debate on the historical bill at mid-noon, when Mr. KapilSibal,
The HRD minister actually started his speech. But there I was, in momentum with
the house, as Mr. KapilSibal was actually trying to reason out every point that
the opposition leader Mrs. SushmaSwarajputforth. BJP wanted a much stronger
Lokpal bill, a much stronger bill on eradication of corruption. She came out
with certain amendments and questions regarding the inclusion of CBI in Lokpal.

Abomination over certain issues and degrading
the decorum of institutions, well I have seen many attempts taken on doing so.
I don’t know why we think so nicely for our country!

India has been country of great cultural
diversity and agricultural advancements. With most percentage of its economy
concentrated on the agricultural, India has flourished well. Still economist
believes that our GDP isn’t good enough? We ain’t developing as developing
countries should develop.

Question
is: How do developing countries develop?

Developing countries are countries that
develop. India is considered one of them along with many other. We have
flourished well enough in scientific podium and are on verge to capture the
world with our insights into every field. Literature, movies, Maths, science,
space, farming etc India has an all round development. Then why are we debating
the pinnacle of development?

When the lokpal debate was in session, I
jogged along different channels. I was still in grief, guilt actually; I
couldn’t attend Anna’s Anshan. Different channels had different stories to say.
While some were busy with serials, the original Indian Melodrama, others were
busy with lot more loads of crap! News channels though were busy with these
three top headlines and some robbery and stuff, usual cases huh!

One thing I realised from the TV, is that it
has diversity of channels, each colourful and so nicely packaged, yet each
compete so passionately, that the viewer turns into a judge and starts judging
the channels by either watching them or skipping them through. The end result
comes in form of TRP’s, thatgenerally depict which channel, show of that
channel particularly, won the hearts of this country with population of 1.2
billion.

Then I realised the diversity of our country,
with different states, each colourful and so nicely packaged in bundle of
culture, politics, views and humanity and compete so passionately with other
states, that the other citizens or other governments or even we ourselves,
become the judge and start judging the country on basis of the culturespolitics,
views and humanity. Because we want to see that channel which entertains and
not those which create nuisance and disturb your fun and jolly time!

We
are responsible for India’s tag of developing country. We are responsible for
downgraded GDP. We are responsible for inflation. We are responsible for the
poverty and illiteracy and we are the ones responsible for corruption. It’s not
‘them’, it’s ‘we’, because my Indian friends, we live in Democracy.

Considering the perpetuated stereotypes that
we deal day to day and night to night through media, we do find ourselves
dwelling into or mesmerizing the fact that we are not understanding what we are
talking about?

In question is the way we deal with our
government and the issues we face. What do you know about the Lokpal?

What
pro’s and con’s may arise from the Lokpal bill presented in the parliament?

Very few must have dared to watch the
Loksabha channel, to actually see the Lokpal debate live, but many must have
just seen the debate, a debacle in various news channels, influenced by them
and there they have a opinion now and then there you are opposing people who
might be right, and there you are completely cranky, an Indian, part of the
largest democracy with an influenced viewpoint. Have you ever sat down, thought
for an hour about how would you tame the corruption before questioning the
parliamentarians?

Are
we so naive? Are we so fact less? Or Are we so talented enough that we can form
an opinion just in minutes or hours? Are we thinking for the best interests,
are we Indians?

We speak of culture, of various languages and
their integrity and how we are united. Our preamble states that India that is Bharat is union of states. Are we Union
of states?

Then I stood up, infront of TV, another
cranky Indian in billions! I realised how young I am to understand what these
news channel guests are talking about and there I turn towards other side,
thinking, how was this house built?

Bricks, mortar, cement, money, marble,
granite, electrical wiring so on... so many things, one mistake and the house
falls and not does the house, but if the foundation is weakened by the effect,
there could be devastation of building and if the building is devastated so are
the neighbouring buildings, because I live in Mumbai and here, buildings are
cluttered as people in local trains. Our
mistake again!

How is it a metaphor?

If
one pro or con of the bill is not understood or left out, the whole system gets
affected. If we do not suggest and sit naive, then the whole system gets
affected. If we do not question, the whole system gets affected. Because, if we
think of eradicating corruption for betterment of future. Breaking news people,
you are destroying the future.

Inclusion of CBI under Lokpal:

One party said it was necessary as it was
being misused by the people in power while the other party opposed validating
their point by saying that CBI is already under many masters. It’s a horse
being tamed by many riders and if one more is added as a master, the horse
might either slow down or lose the efficiency or might even lose its interest
in running for you and just throw you away. That
was pretty clear.

Question is: If CBI is independent, wouldn’t the government still control it?

That
is how India works right? POWER, people want power. And if you think I am
wrong, look at the number of people entering politics. You never thought of
keeping count, you were busy looking for engineering or medical fields and
there you forgot how politics can nurture too? Don’t blame your son or
daughter, it’s your fault, accept it!

There are many issues that bud around in many
places, yet we overlook facts and figures. Why?

There are hundreds unsheltered, hungry and
without penny. Yet we sleep politely, we sleep sound and swell. Why?

Because we aren’t responsible for it, right?

Because we aren’t their friends or family,
right?

Because we aren’t solemnly the cause of their
upbringing, right?

We aren’t akin to things, we aren’t stagnant
creatures, we are just those influenced people, who run for their food, space
and mate, We are the participants of the survival, the survival of the fittest.

We detest the feeling of paranoia only
because we can’t face it. We get aghast by the feeling of paradigm of
successful life only because we can’t handle it, we strive to work hard.Yet
when tired, we rest, leaving the work half-done.

Are
we so self-obsessed that we can’t be a part of an active environment or are we
so naive that everything is destined and you have no job to do. God gives you opportunity;
it’s in your hand to either turn it into a success carrier or a loss barrier.

I could see the crowd drinking in every word
I spoke. They didn’t expect this from me, not at all. This was an agile age,
how could I be so erupted about such things? Well perils of the advanced age!

I was heard by a crowd of ten thousand
people. My mind just couldn’t imagine how many ears and minds were working that
time. Humans are machines of interpretations they say.They can manipulate you; they can comprehend
you unless and until they listen to you and pay attention to you.

“when the crowd understands you, then you are
a good speaker” was a line said by our former president. True!

I walked down the stage and stood in front of
the DGP, the Deputy General of Police. He shook hands with me and said, “Mr.
Karen Malhotra, stupendous. I didn’t know patriotic people are still alive”

I gave him a smile. I knew he was a great
personality, but what was great about him? Being shots of page3, well anyone
can do that. This is what I use to think about them before, but the times have
changed after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and now I respect them.

A simple living homeguard officer was shot by
AjmalKasab, one of the terrorists responsible for the attack. He caught him,
being straight on the receiving end of the AK-47 that Kasab had and there he
was shot trying to cover his officers behind who nabbed Kasab by sacrificing
this homeguard.

for
we are humans of dreams and talents. But we never know what way destiny might
take us. Our job is to do our job.

I walked ahead and there were ladies hiding
their age, injections, surgeries blah blah... well the money spent on each of
these surgeries and injections costs from 25k to a lac or may be more. You can
build houses for needy or destitute, old-age homes, Orphan houses, schools for
lower castes, agricultural development. No we are citizens of India, we are the
part of largest democracyand we would only BLAME the government!

I then walked ahead, soon crowd was gathering
around me. I could just smile. I could just be silent. I wasn’t here for a
speech. I was here to tell the truth. I know these people would forget what I
just said. But then I couldn’t resist the gestures, the appreciations and there
I was swayed away into my dreams of fame and fortune.

I am Karen Malhotra, One of the Hottest and
bestselling authors of India.

My books speak for me, my words actually. I
am a painless guy. I hate the way people share emotions. Being practical is all
that I want to be.